Engaging In Effective Citizen Journalism And Activism From The Web

What You Can Do To Spread The Message When Ground Based Activism Isn’t Your Best Personal Option.

Recently I’ve been engaged in several conversations regarding effective activism with promoting President Trump’s America First agenda, and ensuring that he stays true to his campaign promises. As it turns out, there are several schools of thought on how to accomplish this important task, with most of them involving a “Boots On The Ground” approach. Now don’t get me wrong, holding rallies and having an effective ground game is critical to further our message and engage our government in a meaningful way. However, I’ve also encountered individuals who are either uninterested or unable to participate in the ground game or certain events, yet still want to help push America First in whatever ways they can. If you happen to be one of these individuals, then this guide is definitely for you.

Citizen Journalism And Information Distribution.

Again, the importance of having a solid ground game cannot be emphasized enough, and I encourage everyone to participate in town hall meetings and other events whenever possible. There are however, certain instances where participating in events first hand may be difficult, either because of scheduling conflicts, distance, etc. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t stop you from participating in an event or cause even if you cannot physically be there, and this is where citizen journalism and tools such as blogging, YouTube, and podcasting can come in handy.

Blogging:

The term keyboard warrior is often associated with the image of a stereotypical fat kid sitting in his/her mother’s basement trolling random strangers online with stupid arguments, and generally causing mischief and chaos on the internet. There’s no doubt that these types exist on the Internet, and yet I like to focus on a different type of keyboard warrior known as the political blogger.

Writing about an event or writing a commentary piece on a specific topic can be an effective tactic in informing people about your cause or event. The best approach for writing about an event is to talk to sources who were there and ask them to provide you with quick, to the point details about the event, and use them to craft your own narrative. Think of your blog post as a quick conversation with a friend, family member, or someone you recently met. What are the key facts that readers need to know? How do they relate to your event, and why should people care about what you and your organization are doing? None of this requires you to be some prolific author and as long as you can answer these questions, you’ll be good to go. Blogging is also a great way to promote upcoming events as well, but don’t write a full blown advertisement either.

Podcasts:

Podcasting is another effective way of reporting on an event or cause through the use of your voice. For those unfamiliar with the format, podcasts are essentially audio shows or programs that you can download to your smartphone or other media device, and listen to them at any time. They’re great for reporting on events as well. Invite one of your fellow activists who was at an event to come on and discuss what happened. An example of this is when I invited fellow Trump supporter and media personality James Allsup on my own podcast to talk about his experience of being attacked the night before the inauguration of President Trump in Washington D.C.

If done well, having guests on can make the experience of an event seem more personal and realistic for those who weren’t there themselves, and thereby drawing more attention to your organization and/or cause.

No Excuses Not To Be Active.

Podcasting and Blogging have both been effective tools that I’ve used to advance the cause of Conservatism, and I invite you to do the same. Remember, even if you cannot participate in activism on a ground level, citizen journalism and creating your own media content can be a great way to get involved and spread the message of liberty in your own way.